January 6, 2014—Resolution for 2014: Provide for the Common Defense!

Amb. Henry F. Cooper, Chairman . . . Lt. Gen. Daniel Graham, Founder

High Frontier . . Building Truly Effective Defenses . . Reagan’s Vision Lives

E-Mail Message 140106

Resolution for 2014: Provide for the Common Defense!

By Ambassador Henry F. Cooper

January 6, 2014

Resolve: We will proactively work with grass roots citizens and the local, state and federal “powers that be” to understand and respond effectively to the existential electromagnetic pulse (EMP) threat, particularly as delivered by ballistic missiles launched from vessels off our coasts, especially from the Gulf of Mexico; we will focus on empowering the National Guard to lead critically important efforts to achieve integrated measures for prevention and response.

My last two messages (1) updated my last year’s assessment of the electromagnetic pulse (EMP) threat of ballistic missile attack, especially if launched from vessels off our coasts and particularly from the Gulf of Mexico against which we currently have no defense, and (2) outlined our plans and priorities for 2014.

We Understand the EMP Threat and How to Counter It.

Although my first message emphasized the threat to those who live around the Gulf of Mexico, any EMP attack is potentially an existential threat to all Americans. It is well known, and should be addressed urgently—but alas the powers that be continue collectively to ignore it—although there are signs of a slow awakening. It’s just that we currently have no defense against ballistic missiles launched from the Gulf—or more generally from the south.

The EMP created by a single nuclear weapon exploded a hundred miles above the United States could lead to the death of 60-90 percent of all Americans. And this kind of attack could be delivered by Iran or terrorists.

The congressionally-mandated nonpartisan EMP Commission reported detailed these findings almost a decade ago. Yet neither the administration nor congress has seriously addressed this all too real threat, which could and now should be addressed, especially in view of the events of the past year. So, we have decided to focus our efforts on informing grass roots America and local and state authorities about this urgent threat and what can be done about it.

In particular we know how to provide for the common defense, if we have the wit to do so.

I elaborated these points under the following main headlines.

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Status Report from December 30, 2013 Message

Update for 2014: Open Letter on the Threat from the Gulf of Mexico

(For the full report, go to www.highfrontier.org or the click here.)

We know EMP effects are real—and potentially catastrophic.
These EMP effects are well known, including to rogue states and terrorists who wish to kill us.
Our current missile defenses, if appropriately deployed, could defend against such attack—but our deployment strategy needs improvement.
We can easily afford an effective defense against this threat—indeed, in my opinion and for reasons stated below, we cannot afford not to defend against it.
Time is running out for us to provide these needed defenses against Iran and its terrorist agents.
Washington’s counters to this growing threat seem too little, too late.
I believe that our best hope for ending the above discussed apathy is to educate the grass roots about the threat and help them with a bottoms-up effort to demand that Washington powers that be live up to their oath to provide for the common defense.
Last year’s activities give me confidence that we can achieve grass roots support.

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In particular, I emphasized the threat from the “south,” particularly from the Gulf of Mexico, as posing a potential modern Cuban Missile Crisis, and noted that we could end our current total vulnerability by deploying Aegis Ashore sites at military bases in several states around the Gulf. No development is required for these defenses, which are being built in Romania (by 2015) and Poland (by 2018).

The first site has actually been deployed in Hawaii for testing purposes—at a reported cost of $400 million, peanuts as compared to the overall defense budget, let alone the damage that would follow an EMP attack. For the Missile Defense Agency’s description of Aegis Ashore and related programmatic information, click here.

As indicated by the above figure, the entire deployment could fit within an area equivalent to a football field. The VLS is the vertical launch system, which launches the Navy Standard Missile interceptor, to be placed at “safe” distance from other components of the Aegis Ashore system and other base infrastructure. Of course, all key components fit and operate effectively in very close proximity onboard Aegis cruisers and destroyers. The system’s impressive success rate is 28-intercepts-out-of-34 attempts, all conducted by operational Aegis crews. We expect no less from Aegis Ashore.

Priority Game Plan for 2014.

My top priority in 2014 will be emphasizing these points with grass roots citizens and local and state authorities, as summarized in my New Year’s Eve message and repeated below.

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Priority High Frontier Efforts for 2014:

Inform citizens and local and state authorities about the threat from natural and manmade EMP and what can be done about it. In particular, encourage from the bottom-up active involvement of:
- Everyday citizens;
- Appropriate state and local authorities;
- Associated National Guard authorities and members to exploit their unique role in working for the Governors and for Federal authorities on these homeland defense issues; and
- Appropriate Federal offices, including especially the Departments of Defense, Energy and Homeland Security.
Wherever possible, encourage the full development of appropriate BMD systems to defend against ballistic missiles launched from vessels off our coasts, particularly from the Gulf of Mexico.
Encourage local, state and federal authorities to harden the electric power grid to natural and manmade EMP effects. In particular, seek to help resolve the issues that have led the electric power companies to resist taking these affordable, effective remedial measures.

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I look forward to working with the National Guard, which—unless and until called on active federal duty—is responsible to the Governors of the respective states. In my opinion, the Guard is the potential glue that can hold together an effective national response to the existential EMP threat. In particular, I am exploring how these concerns might be linked to key National Guard activities in South Carolina—especially in the context of a possible multistate exercise they are planning to conduct in 2015.

My initial contacts with the SC Adjutant General’s office and National Guard personnel at the 263^rd US Army Air and Missile Defense Command (AAMDC) in Anderson, SC and others have been very encouraging. I believe that we can formulate a program not only to be a useful National Guard exercise, but one that links South Carolina planners with their counterparts in other nearby states and in the federal government. In particular, we can plan scenarios that link to Florida’s potential role in siting Aegis Ashore, e.g., at Tyndall and Homestead Air Force Bases, to defend against ballistic missile launched from the Gulf of Mexico. And via the 263^rd AAMDC’s chain of command, exercises and operations also can be linked to national homeland defense authorities—e.g., at Northern Command in Colorado Springs as well as in the National Capitol region. Indeed, they are already engaged in national counter terrorism exercises—so this would be straight forward extension of their ongoing activities.

I anticipate that these plans will also include the expertise in a number of other important organizations, including the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (responsible for the effectiveness and safety of about 100 nuclear power reactors that produce a significant portion of the nation’s electric power) and others involved in various important activities in the Departments of Defense, Energy and Homeland Security.

Actively supporting the local, state and federal “powers that be” to help them execute this game plan will be our top priority goal in 2014—and I will keep you informed as we progress.

Peripheral Vision for the Political Realities in 2014.

I can’t resist noting that we will proceed while entering the 2014 election “silly season,” and we will be considering how our primary mission relates to much that surely will be included in the political milieu. For example:

How will various culprits explain their role in the “2013 Lie of the Year” award that went to the President and a number of his administration colleagues and in Congress for claiming that “It you like your health care plan, you can keep your health care plan. Period! If you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor. Period!” Many believe the 2014 political debate will be focused on Obamacare—they may be right, but I believe foreign policy issues may eclipse this important domestic issue—and those issues bridge to the EMP threat.
What really happened in Benghazi? The administration should explain its complicity and inaction in that event—and the truth should be exposed on their efforts to hide the truth behind a charade that the terrorist attack was extemporaneously precipitated by a video. Their front organizations should be exposed, including the New York Times which recently published a 7000-8000 word report obviously seeking to revive the “blame the video” fiction and to back up the President’s campaign claim that “bin Laden is dead and al Qaeda is on the run!” See, for example, recent articles by Andy McCarthy, Ken Timmerman and Caroline Glick. And House Speaker Boehner should appoint a special investigative committee to get to the bottom of what really happened, as has been advocated by Rep. Frank Wolf (R-VA) and more than a hundred others. But, make no mistake, al Qaeda is alive and well and has metastasized, and it and its surrogates are rearing their heads around the world. This development may lead rogue states to support terrorist surrogates that launch an EMP attack from a vessel off our coasts. The world is more dangerous than it was during the Cold War.
In this context, how will the Obama “lead from behind” strategy play out around the world? Particularly:
- In the Middle East, we seem to be abandoning our only real friend—Israel, while playing along with however things unfold in Iraq (where the benefits of our success achieved at great price are dissipating daily as al Qaeda takes over), Iran, Syria, Egypt and elsewhere; possibly provoking Saudi Arabia and other Arab states to enter a nuclear arms race; and leaving the unfolding events to Vladimir Putin’s initiatives—especially as Russia’s long-time ally, Iran, pursues its deliberate efforts to gain and deploy nuclear weapons—to be deployed on its large inventory of ballistic missiles to threaten the Little Satan Israel and the Great Satan America.
- As associated with Obama’s “reset” policy with Russia, in these Middle East escapades and in the strategic arms arena—where Russia builds new and more offensive weapons and our modernization programs stagnate as we seek more ill-advised arms control agreements, by “executive agreements” if not by treaty—and where they oppose our efforts to build truly effective ballistic missile defenses.
- With China—owner of much of our growing national debt, as it becomes more and more adventuresome in its military operations in its “near-abroad” and builds more capability to expand that interest to more distant objectives—no doubt intended to counter our alleged strategic “pivot to the Pacific.”
- With North Korea (partner with Iran in developing nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles), which already has ballistic missiles and nuclear weapons—perhaps even designed to maximize EMP effects, which could be launched or sold to others (including Iran or surrogate terrorists) to be launched to attack us or our allies.
How should we address these concerns, given other not entirely unrelated unfolding issues? For example, how will dealing with concerns about the NSA invasion of citizens’ Constitutional privacy rights affect the intelligence community’s ability to provide both strategic and tactical warning of future attacks on U.S. citizens? And how will the intimidation of citizens by the IRS (and other government organizations) associated with their growing role and bureaucracy to support Obamacare affect our ability to defend our nation and our individual liberty? As the economic drain from Obamacare ripples through the economy, the Middle East could implode and/or the Sea of Japan could host dangerous events that could escalate to broader conflict. Black Swan events in the making???

When Congress returns this week, they will address the appropriations process and the issues of another Continuing Resolution, Sequestration and government shutdown. The Bipartisan Budget Act (BBA) of 2014 and 2014 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) are now law (including an important directive about defending from ballistic missiles launched from ships off our coasts—including from the Gulf of Mexico and against other threats from the south). But Congress must still pass and the President must still sign appropriations act(s) or risk once again getting slammed by sequestration’s deep cuts.

Some advocates claim the nasty effects from the sequester will be stayed for the next two years, but others say the BBA merely raises sequester budget caps for Fiscal 2014 and 2015. The 2014 NDAA implied a level of spending, but does not actually give DOD any money—that is the business of the Appropriators, and they must settle this issue before January 15^th or confront the prospects of another government shutdown. They must pass new appropriations, most likely in another large omnibus bill, or extend the existing continuing resolution a few more weeks.

It will be a busy year. Stay tuned!

Near Term Plans.

On January 18-20, I will be attending the 2014 South Carolina Tea Party Coalition (SCTPC) Convention in Myrtle Beach. On the 20^th, I will be discussing my efforts briefly described above and how informed citizens can help to provide for the common defense from an existential EMP threat—whether manmade of from a natural—e.g., solar—event. This will be a follow-up to my discussion at last year’s conference. To whet your appetite, I encourage you to watch this 2014 SXTPC Trailer, which includes excerpts from my talk as well as from a number of others I was pleased to join.

I encourage you to join us in person by contacting Ron Hughes (ronmbto@gmail.com)—or if you can’t make the conference to watch the conference live via webcast carried on the SCTPC webpage.

What can you do?

Join us in praying for our nation, and for a rebirth of the freedom sought, achieved and passed to us by those who came before us. Happy New Year to you and yours!

Get involved— in particular, let you electric power company know of your concern and urge them to harden the electric power grid.

Help us to spread our message to the grass roots and to encourage all “powers that be” to provide for the common defense as they are sworn to do.

Begin by passing this message to your friends and suggest they visit our webpage, www.highfrontier.org for more information. Also, please encourage your sphere of influence to sign up for our weekly e-newsletter!